Exporting backgrounds - please help!

[Ixath]

I am looking for assistance with finding an efficient way to export 2D and 3D backgrounds from Revit. I am a complete beginner with Revit so please ignore my ignorance if I can't explain my problem very well.

The  GC provides us with Revit files. There are separate Revit files for Structural, Interiors, Architectural, Plumbing, Mechanical, etc. Each of these separate Revit files has the associated 3D model and all of the page layouts and annotation necessary for that set of prints.

They do not provide  2D or 3D backgrounds (to use in AutoCAD or Navis or whatever), so we are left to extract and make those ourselves. Each time one of their Revit models is updated, we have to re-create the backgrounds. It's a multi-story building and our current process is very tedious (and probably incorrect):

• We open each Revit file (Interiors.rvt for my example)
• Open the page to export, ex.: VIEWS - FLOOR PLAN - EXPORTS -> Floor Plan: LEVEL 1
• Export that page via:  EXPORT - CAD FORMATS - DWG (and change settings as necessary, like enabling Shared Coordinates, turning off certain elements, AutoCAD version, etc.)
• Repeat this process for the remaining 6 floors for the Interiors.rvt, and then switch to the next drawing (Structural.rvt) and do all the floors manually.. and on, and on, and on.. until all the floors are done for all of the files.

What is the easiest way to automate this? If I save something internally to one of the Revit files to extract, it will have to be set up each time we get a new .rvt file.

Can I create my own revit project, or some sort of template, that has all of this information and can be ran each time we get new drawings? And then 20 minutes later we'll have a nice set of background files?

Please help!

Thank you very much.

[Ixath]

I think I figured it out for myself. Apparently I can Google a lot better today than before.

On the export menu I can make a group with all the floor plans for that file (some have it already), and same with the export settings. Those can be saved and named whatever.

I imagine it will be possible to create a new project with all of the applicable files linked to my new project, and then create one giant export list.. and like magic, it happens?

Is there a better way?

Also, can this be done without opening Revit via something similar to the AutoCAD Core Console?

edit:

Or not. It doesn't import the views and it looks like the coordinates come in jacked up. Getting closer though 😕

[CoreyDaun · Accepted solution]

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Ixath wrote:

"Can I create my own revit project, or some sort of template, that has all of this information and can be ran each time we get new drawings? And then 20 minutes later we'll have a nice set of background files?"

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Yes, you can create the desired export setup in one of their models, open a new Project, and use Transfer Project Standards (on the Manage tab) to pull the "DWG/DXF Export Setup Settings" into the New Project. Now, you can perform the reverse; open the other models and user Transfer Project Standards to pull the setup from the New Project.

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Ixath wrote:

"...Is there a better way?"

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My initial thought is to create a new Project and then Link all of the other models into it. Then, you can create new Views that link directly to teach he desired Views from the Models. This is done by going to Visibility/Graphics Overrides » Revit Links tab and click on the Display Setting button for the desired Model. Here, you can set the option at the top to "By Linked View" and select the specific View from the list below.

If you do this for each View that you need to Export, then you will only have to open a single Project to export the Views. You can save your Export Setup here, as well. When you receive updated models, use the "Reload From..." command under Manage Links (on the Manage tab) to reference the new Model. All of the Views Links should be maintained as long as they didn't delete them in their model.

[Ixath]

You are my hero. This is working perfectly.

Thank you very much!